Melamed "face of Whistler"

Wilhelm-Morden "humbled" people have so much confidence in her

A steady line of well-wishers paid their respects to Whistler’s
new mayor Saturday night, including the successful and the unsuccessful
candidates in the municipal election.

Among the people who came to the Garibldi Lift Company to congratulate Ken
Melamed were newly-elected councillors Tim Wake, Bob Lorriman and Gord
McKeever.

“The community has spoken clearly and it’s time to move
forward,” said McKeever, who was the only incumbent councillor re-elected as a
councillor. “I hope the new team is prepared to hit the ground running because
there’s a lot to get done.”

Mayoral candidate Nick Davies also came to the GLC to
congratulate Melamed on his win, along with council candidate Michael d’Artois.

The new mayor accepted all the well-wishers in between phone
interviews and a TV interview.

Though it was a hard loss for some of the candidates, there was
a palpable feeling of excitement in the room, particularly among the successful
candidates who had aligned themselves with Melamed.

“Ken ran a fabulous campaign,” said Nancy Wilhelm-Morden who
was the most popular councillor in the election.

She said Melamed stayed above any mud-slinging in the campaign
and he spoke from the heart with passion at the meetings leading up to the
election.

“He really showed that he is the face of Whistler,” she said.

Wilhelm-Morden said she was humbled to have received the
highest number of votes in the election, garnering 2,127. That was almost 500
votes above second place finisher Lorriman, who received 1,646.

“It’s very humbling that so many people have so much confidence
in me,” said a glowing Wilhelm-Morden.

Melamed also addressed the negative campaigning, which seemed
to gather steam as election day drew closer and some of his opponents painted
him as the councillor who always said “no."

The mayor of Whistler, said Melamed, should have the kind of
dignity and integrity that Whistler deserves and tried to stay above the
negative campaigning.

When asked to reflect on his own campaign, Melamed said he felt
the Chamber of Commerce all-candidates meeting was the turning point for him.
It was at that meeting Melamed delivered a powerful speech that was met by a
wave of support from the community.

“From that point I started to feel confident,” he said.

As for his feeling Saturday night, he was concise and
heart-felt when he said simply: “I feel awesome.”

Eckhard Zeidler, the sixth councillor elected, was also upbeat.

“I’m so thrilled about this town because everybody’s on the
same page,” he said. “We’re thinking the same way. We have the same values.

“I’m truly inspired by the town and we’re only beginning to do
great things.”

Ralph Forsyth is the other new councillor elected Saturday.

When asked how he planned to spend the rest of the weekend,
Whistler’s new mayor, who was called by some as the hardest working councillor
in Whistler, stayed true to form.

He had a council package to read and digest in preparation of
Monday’s meeting, he was hoping to take a few turns on Blackcomb Mountain and
he also wanted to watch his son’s hockey game.

Mayoral candidate Kristi Wells, who was at the polling station
on Saturday night where the results were first made public, said of Melamed: “I
know he’ll put his heart into the job.”